My dh had the worst case I have ever seen last year~~~he picked it up in NC. So bad that he had to go to the Dr here only to find out that our doctor had never seen it!It's very unusual to get it West of the Rocky Mts (which, of course, he didn't, he just brought it back with him.) Dh HATES to take drugs, so filled the prescription but didn't use it. He did a bunch of research on the internet (he's a research scientist by trade so he loves to self diagnose) and found that many places recommend taking the hottest shower you can possibly stand. He started doing this and found that he could get relief for several hours. He got to the point he took 4-5 showers a day, but pretty much had no itching in between. Try it!